Recent events in the domestic politics of both countries have added another complicating factor to this pivotal “G2” relationship. In China, widespread protests against harsh Covid-19 lockdown policies have generated a source of domestic instability that Beijing wishes to nullify. Even after Covid-19 measures have been lifted, Beijing will now be more occupied with managing a renewed Covid wave. Ian Johnson, senior fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that this could result in a “turbulent new era” for Beijing.
With domestic issues still unresolved, the last thing Biden and Xi want is an international crisis to aggravate their problems
Amid the drama of the war in Ukraine and the global Covid-19 pandemic, the spectre of US-China rivalry still looms large in the background of the international system. Not a day goes by without both sides trading barbs, suspecting the other of plotting their demise. The Taiwan Strait, in particular, remains a flashpoint, with experts openly talking about the possibility of armed conflict in the contested waters.
